Adarsh scam: ‘Guilty will not be spared’, says Antony

NEW DELHI - Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said the government and the armed forces will not spare any person, who is found guilty of wrongdoing in Mumbai’s Adarsh Housing Society scam.

“Whoever is found guilty will be punished. Nobody will be spared. Whenever there are allegations and they are proved, we take strong action. Whatever the allegation, the armed forces and the government is taking action. No other agency takes this strong action. Only armed forces are taking strong action,” Antony told reporters on the sidelines of an aerospace seminar here.

When asked about the alleged involvement of senior serving and retired officers from the armed forces and the defence ministry in getting prime army land in 31-storey Adarsh Society in upmarket Colaba transferred to the private housing society, Antony said: “There are two inquiries by CBI and the Army to fix responsibility. These investigations are going on. We will take whatever action is required. There will be no let up.”

“We want to maintain integrity. We will not ignore it,” he added.

Defence Minister A K Antony had earlier last month recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe to fix responsibility of the armed forces and defence estates officers in the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai.

He also asked the CBI to look into the circumstances under which a No Objection Certificate was issued to the Adarsh Housing Society to construct the 31-storey building on a piece of land, which was in the ‘de facto’ possession of the Army.

The Indian Army’s Southern Command, which is headquartered in Pune, had on Saturday (December 11) ordered a probe to find out which army officers had issued a no-objection certificate to the Adarsh Society to construct a 31-storeyed complex on a plot in Colaba in Mumbai.

The 31-storey Adarsh Society, originally meant for Kargil war heroes, landed in controversy after media reports said several politicians, bureaucrats and defence personnel owned flats there.

The CBI had on November 15 registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) to probe the alleged role of former and serving Army officers, with the permission of Defence Minister A K Antony.

The plush housing Society, built on prime defence land, has been constructed in alleged violation of rules. It was originally meant to be a six-storey structure to house Kargil war heroes and their kin, but was later extended to 31 floors without mandatory permission.

The exposure of the scam forced the Congress party to seek the resignation of then Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. (ANI)